Struck by the sheer amount of beggers

[elmarko]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_9618000/9618038.stm

So the people begging build the homes, or the criminal gang exploiting them does?.

There is a difference.

There are a lot of professional beggars, from Romania in particular. They spend a year or two here begging, then go back to Romania and build large houses. Its quite shocking really.

Your post clearly implies the former.

 

[Efour]

They are professional beggars and scum. They turned up here in Northern Sweden in the winter and there was one on every single supermarket or other major store.

They are absolute filth and it makes me sick to see them rob good natured, naive Swedish folk every day. Complete con artists. Fake tears that soon dry up when they get a large denomination note, then 30 seconds later onto the next punter. Complete guilt trippers. Its so infuriating.

Scam artists too, pretending to represent childrens charities and asking folk for bank account and personal details for bogus donations. Your "personal number"information in Sweden is used almost for EVERYTHING as a proof of ID. The dodgy stuff they could pull off with it is pretty nasty.

They live in Caravans and all drive around in M3s and Mercs paid for by "the kindness of strangers"

THey should ******* cull the scum from Europe.

 

[Diddums]

They are professional beggars and scum. They turned up here in Northern Sweden in the winter and there was one on every single supermarket or other major store.

They are absolute filth and it makes me sick to see them rob good natured, naive Swedish folk every day. Complete con artists. Fake tears that soon dry up when they get a large denomination note, then 30 seconds later onto the next punter. Complete guilt trippers. Its so infuriating.

Scam artists too, pretending to represent childrens charities and asking folk for bank account and personal details for bogus donations. Your "personal number"information in Sweden is used almost for EVERYTHING as a proof of ID. The dodgy stuff they could pull off with it is pretty nasty.

They live in Caravans and all drive around in M3s and Mercs paid for by "the kindness of strangers"

THey should ******* cull the scum from Europe.

This is a very misguided opinion. I see your view as it's the same one I held for so long, but make no mistake, those people aren't there out of choice. It's the ones holding the strings that need to be dealt with.

 

[dowie]

They're just ordinary Mancunians.

^^^this

are you sure they're actually beggers? I mean have they all individually asked you for money - if not they could just be regular northerners going about their day.

 

[robgmun]

Almost all of the homeless people I see are old, very dirty - usually clearly handicapped in one way or another English men. When you've seen a guy eating food out of a bin it's fair to assume they are genuine.

I thought that was the average Portsmouth resident

 

[scorza]

The problem is so bad that countries like Norway and Denmark have/are considering making begging a criminal offence. Begging is already a criminal offence in this country - maybe we should actually enforce it? Why always be a soft touch?

 

[NMBlack]

Please stop confusing "Romanians" with "Roma"......the former are hard-working, honest and pay their taxes here, while the latter are the gypsy beggars who scrounge benefits and send their kids out begging instead of letting them go to school. The Romanians hate the Roma even more than we do.

From living in Manchester from 1997-2000, yes there were beggars there at the time.

 

[lemonade]

My favourite British beggars are the ones that sit there with £500 worth of visible tattoos and £100 worth of facial jewellery.

Those aren't beggars, there hipsters.

 

[lemonade]

Almost all of the homeless people I see are old, very dirty - usually clearly handicapped in one way or another English men. When you've seen a guy eating food out of a bin it's fair to assume they are genuine.

Sounds like the great big society that the Tories implemented, down with the peasants and the disabled, less tax for the rich. Perhaps one day it will lead to a purge when the downtrodden get fed up.

 

[Mr Jack]

... Walking through the streets of Manchester. Has it always been as bad as this here?

I was in Manchester at the weekend, as it happens, I too was struck by the sheer number of beggars.

I don't dispute that there are scammers who pose as beggars - presumably, some of whom are foreign - but the idea that most beggars you see are scammers is simply unfounded.

 

[mmj_uk]

I don't dispute that there are scammers who pose as beggars - presumably, some of whom are foreign - but the idea that most beggars you see are scammers is simply unfounded.

It does make a good argument for failing economic policy though, just like how everyone using food banks are simply taking advantage of free food rather than people being genuinely hungry and unable to afford food, everyone on benefits is playing the system rather than there just not being enough jobs.

 

[Schlong&Stable]

So the people begging build the homes, or the criminal gang exploiting them does?.

There is a difference.

Your post clearly implies the former.

I've already addressed that point: The gangs are familial.

 

[Fubsy]

I used to walk past the same "team" every week when I went to visit my girlfriend at uni in Manchester. One pretty dismal night we gave in and bought some sandwiches, soup and hot drinks for them.

No thank you was received, all we got was "we need money, not food".

Well, screw that then. In a way that experience has dented my faith that people on the streets are genuine, and that's bad news for the guys really in need the help. I can't be the only one to have experienced this.

 

[dbmzk1]

Definitely more of them in Manchester in the last year or two.

I never give money to beggers. They can begger off

 

[NickK]

If you give, then you're compounding the problem.

It's illegal to give money to beggars in the London tube for example (according to the announcements).

 

[Mr Jack]

No thank you was received, all we got was "we need money, not food".

Why do you assume that because they needed money they weren't legitimate? Many, probably most, homeless shelters charge their patrons.

 

[Mr Jack]

If you give, then you're compounding the problem.

What problem, precisely, are we compounding?

 

[arknor]

Any evidence?.

BBC did a docu about it once

My favourite British beggars are the ones that sit there with £500 worth of visible tattoos and £100 worth of facial jewellery.

My favourite is the ones that are always inside a sleeping bag so you can't see there nice clean clothes....

Does some charity give away sleeping bags? they always look new and every homeless person I see actually begging has one.

The few times I see what appears to be a legitimate homeless person they are wearing tatty ripped smelly clothes and carrying bin bags.
Usually they don't have proper shoes either just stuff wrapped around their feet.

You never see them asking for money they always appear to be simply going from A > B

Everyone else are just professional beggars or people released from prison with no where to go?
Do you get a sleeping bag when your released from prison ? lol

 

[Soundood]

I think your mistaken, that was actually the night of the OCUK Manchester meet-up, people will do anything for computer parts these days.

 

[Mr Jack]

The few times I see what appears to be a legitimate homeless person they are wearing tatty ripped smelly clothes and carrying bin bags.
Usually they don't have proper shoes either just stuff wrapped around their feet.

Why do you assume that homeless people (a) have been homeless for a long time and (b) have no access to new clothing?

In fact, homelessness is a lot more complex than that.